Aaron Murray

Aaron William Murray (born November 10, 1990) is an American football quarterback for the Atlanta Legends of the Alliance of American Football (AAF). He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia. Murray currently leads the SEC career touchdown list, surpassing Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, and Matthew Stafford. Murray is also a college football color commentator for the CBS Sports Network. Murray was raised in Florida, the son of Lauren and Dennis Murray. His father is Catholic and his mother is Jewish. He graduated from Plant High School after transferring from Jesuit High School in Tampa, Florida.

In 2008, the Plant High Panthers won 14 games in a row after a close opening day loss. The Panthers continued to the state championship finally defeating Tallahassee Lincoln 34–14 en route to their 2nd title in three years.

As a junior, Murray completed 201-of-329 passing attempts for 4,012 yards and 51 touchdowns with seven interceptions.[3] He had a longest pass play of 78 yards that season.[3]

Murray received 53 scholarship offers,[4] and during his senior season he completed 118-of-195 passes for 2,285 yards and 33 touchdowns with five interceptions. The senior rushed for 257 yards on 26 carries with two touchdowns. He participated in the 2009 U.S. Army All-American Bowl on the same East team with Clemson Tigers quarterback Tajh Boyd.

Murray was named Hillsborough co-offensive player of the year along with teammate and favorite target, wide receiver Orson Charles. Voted All-Suncoast First Team. He was also voted the 4A Player of the Year therefore making him a finalist and leading contender for Florida's Mr. Football of 2008. Murray was named Parade All-American, Orlando Sentinel's All-Southern Top 12 Players SE, Press-Register's Super Southeast 120 (#10), and FSWA All-State first team quarterback.

College career

2009 season

Murray redshirted during his freshman season because of a shoulder injury he suffered that fall as Georgia managed an 8–5 record and went 4–4 in the SEC under the leadership of senior quarterback Joe Cox.

2010 season

With fellow freshman quarterback Zach Mettenberger being dismissed from the team for rules violations, transferring to Butler Community College, and eventually to LSU, Murray took over as Georgia's starting quarterback as a redshirt freshman. With star player wide receiver A. J. Green receiving a 4-game suspension from the NCAA for selling his jersey during the spring, Murray faced the difficulty of leading Georgia into the 2010 campaign without his best receiver.[6] The end result was a brutal 1–4 start as Georgia dropped four consecutive games starting with a 17–6 road loss on September 4 with South Carolina and ending with an October 2 road trip to Colorado as their linebacker B.J. Beatty forced a fumble late in the fourth quarter that resulted in a Buffaloes' 29–27 victory.[7]

However, the Tampa, Florida native was resilient as Georgia reeled off five wins in their next six contests, including routs of Tennessee (41–14), Vanderbilt (43–0), and Kentucky (44–31). On October 9, Murray threw the ball with precision going 17-of-25 for 266 yards with two touchdowns and also rushed for 41 yards and two more touchdowns against the Volunteers.[8] On October 16, Murray exploited Vanderbilt's secondary, going 15-of-24 passing for 287 yards with two touchdowns. He also rushed six times for 36 yards against the Commodores. At Lexington, Kentucky on October 23, Murray was 9-of-12, passing the ball for 113 yards as teammate Washaun Ealey ran 28 times for 157 yards, and scored five touchdowns as Georgia built a 44–25 lead in the fourth quarter.[9]

Georgia finished the season facing tough opposition including BCS National Champion Auburn (14–0) and Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton along with the 8–5 Florida Gators. The 34–31 overtime loss to Florida on October 30 may have been Murray's most memorable performance for his redshirt freshman year as the Gators went up 21–7 at the half. The Bulldogs' signal caller rallied Georgia as coach Mark Richt's team exploded in the fourth quarter, scoring three touchdowns including two Murray touchdown passes and a 1-yard run by Ealey that tied the score at 31–31. Murray was 18-for-37 passing the ball for 313 yards with three touchdowns against Florida in Jacksonville, Florida.[10] On November 13, Murray completed 15-of-28 passes for 273 yards with three touchdowns against Auburn—even taking a 21–7 lead in the first half and a 31–28 lead in the third quarter at Jordan–Hare Stadium. Unfortunately, Newton proved to be too much as he finished with four touchdowns, 151 rushing yards, and 148 more yards off 12-of-15 passing attempts as Auburn won the game, 49–31.[11]

Murray finished the season well, as the redshirt freshman guided the Georgia Bulldogs to a 6–6 regular season record after starting out 1–4. The 6–1, 206-pound dual threat quarterback defeated in-state rival Georgia Tech, 42–34, on November 27. Murray threaded the needle going 15-of-19 passing the ball for 271 yards with three touchdown passes including a 66 yarder thrown to wide receiverKris Durham in the first quarter.[12] This win against the Rambling Wreck also helped Georgia to become bowl eligible. The team was invited to play in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee on December 31, 2010 against Central Florida.

In the 2010 season, Murray accomplished quite a bit. He set a UGA freshman record with 3,049 passing yards in 13 games. This placed him second in the SEC with the most yards passing by a freshman.[13] More records set or broken by the Tampa native include his 3,216 total offensive yards as a freshman that is a University of Georgia school record and ranks as No. 2 in SEC history. Murray also tied D.J. Shockley (2005) by scoring 28 total touchdowns in a single season. His 24 passing touchdowns is tied for second in UGA history for a single season. Murray's pass efficiency rating of 154.48 ranked as No. 14 nationally and No. 4 in the SEC. He was listed as third highest in the SEC averaging 234.5 yards passing per contest. Murray was ranked No. 4 in total offense in the SEC with 274.4 yards a game.

2011 season

Aaron Murray's redshirt sophomore year started off slowly. Either by design, with a very tough early season schedule, or due to the chemistry of a lot of young talent needing to mesh and gel, Georgia began 2011 with an 0–2 start with losses to nationally ranked No. 5 Boise State in the Georgia Dome and nationally ranked No. 12 South Carolina at home.[14] The 35–21 loss to the Broncos on September 4 came against a senior-laden Boise State team, while the 45–42 loss to the Gamecocks a week later saw Murray play one of his finest games as a Bulldog, going 19-for-29 passing for 248 yards and four touchdowns. However, three UGA turnovers and a 68-yard fake punt touchdown run by South Carolina's 6–2, 276-pound senior linebacker Melvin Ingram proved to be too much for Georgia to overcome.[15]

With the whole season in jeopardy, the magic began for the University of Georgia as coach Richt's football team went on a dominating march (during the regular season) through the college football landscape. Murray was largely responsible for the surge as the Bulldogs won 10 games in a row that lifted them to a 10–2 record, a No. 12 ranking nationally by the AP College Football Poll, and a first-place ranking in the SEC East—which placed UGA in the SEC Championship Game on December 3.[16]

Right away, Murray's passing game was high flying as he accounted for four touchdowns in a 59–0 drubbing of visiting Coastal Carolina on September 17. Murray hit on 18-of-26 pass attempts for 188 yards against the Chanticleers.[17]

The 6–1, 211-pound quarterback coasted through the first half of the schedule with wins against Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Tennessee that were all low scoring games. Georgia beat Mississippi, 27–13, while Murray connected on 17-of-26 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns on September 24. Next, Murray threw two touchdown passes in UGA's 24–10 win over Mississippi State on October 1 as the Tampa, Florida native and teammate Isaiah Crowell accounted for 264 yards of offense at home. The October 8 game at Knoxville, Tennessee had place kicker Blair Walsh connecting on 35- and 23-yard field goals in the first half as two Crowell touchdown runs completed Georgia's 20–12 win against the Volunteers. Murray safely executed the passing game completing 15-of-25 passes for 227 yards against Tennessee.

The next two contests would become major hurdles for Murray's Bulldogs as Georgia had to escape in road matchups with Vanderbilt and Florida. The Vanderbilt game in Nashville, Tennessee went right down to the wire as punter Drew Butler unknowingly grabbed the one Vanderbilt player who had the football out of a host of Commodore defenders that surrounded Georgia's senior kicker.[18] Butler's successful tackle following a Vandy blocked punt late in the fourth quarter resulted in a Georgia 33–28 victory as Murray finished the contest with 22-of-38 passes for, at the time, a career-high 326 yards and three touchdowns including a 75 yarder to wide receiverMarlon Brown.[19] In Jacksonville, Florida, Georgia fell behind 17–3 in the 2nd quarter but roared back to claim a 24–20 victory over the Florida Gators on October 29. Murray was 15-of-34 for 169 yards and two fourth down touchdown passes.[20]

The month of November belonged to the Georgia Bulldogs as Murray and company reeled off four wins against solid teams in New Mexico State, Auburn, Kentucky, and Georgia Tech. The New Mexico State game on November 5 had Murray putting on a show as he completed 18-for-23 passes for 238 yards and five touchdowns including a 47 yarder to wide receiver Chris Conley and a 42 yarder to cornerback/wide receiver Brandon Boykin in the win in Athens, Georgia.[21] The Auburn game on November 12 was never close as Georgia enjoyed solid performances from Crowell (24 rushes, 132 yards) and Murray (completed 14-of-18 passes for 224 yards and four touchdowns) as the Bulldogs won, 45–7.[22] The home game with the Kentucky Wildcats on November 19 turned into a challenge when starting running back Crowell left early with an ankle sprain. However, Murray picked up the slack by completing 16-of-29 passes for 162 yards, and that included a seven-yard touchdown pass thrown to Marlon Brown in the fourth quarter that put the game out reach as Georgia won, 19–10.[23] Murray's next conquest would come against in-state rival Georgia Tech (8–5) on November 26 as the sophomore threaded the needle completing 19-of-29 passes for 252 yards and four touchdowns as the Bulldogs won, 31–17.[24] The victory at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta completed the Georgia Bulldogs' 10-game winning streak.

Murray faced difficult opposition to end the season. In the SEC Championship game on December 3 and the Outback Bowl on January 2 Georgia was pitted against two elite programs, number 1 ranked LSU and 12th-ranked Michigan State.[25] At the Georgia Dome, the Bulldogs got off to a 10–0 lead by the end of the first quarter and held a 10–7 lead at the half against the 12–0 LSU Tigers. However, the second half was all LSU as the Bayou Bengals won the contest, 42–10. With running back depth being an issue, Murray was forced to step up and play big as he completed 16-of-40 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown in the loss.[26] The last game of the season was played against 10–3 Michigan State in Tampa, Florida in the Outback Bowl. It was a tough loss for the Bulldogs as Georgia jumped out to a 16–0 lead early only to have the Spartans storm back and tie the score at 27–27 to send the game into overtime. Michigan State won the contest 33–30 in a third overtime. Murray completed 20-of-32 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns in the overtime loss.[27]

Following the completion of the regular season, Murray gained honors from The Associated Press on December 5, 2011 as it released its All-SEC football team listing him as the second team quarterback.[28]

2012 season

Murray and the Georgia Bulldogs finished the season ranked #5 nationally after they got past #16 Nebraska, 45–31, in the Capital One Bowl on January 1, 2013. The 6–0⅜, 211-pound redshirt junior threw 5 touchdown passes and for 427 yards off 18-of-33 passing attempts against the Cornhuskers as Georgia ran its record to a lofty 12–2 while winning the SEC Eastern Division for a 2nd year in a row.[29]

With expectations rising after a successful 10–4 campaign in 2011, their rising star, junior outside linebacker Jarvis Jones, had the difficult task of convincing Georgia's talented seniors on defense—John Jenkins (6–3, 363-pounds, DT), Sanders Commings (6–2, 217-pounds, CB), Branden Smith (5–11, 176-pounds, CB), Bacarri Rambo (6–0, 218-pounds, FS), Shawn Williams (6–1, 220-pounds, SS), Abry Jones (6–3, 309-pounds, DE), and Cornelius Washington (6–4, 269-pounds, DE)—to resist the NFL for one more season.[30] Those athletes stayed in school as this enabled Murray and Georgia to make another run in the SEC East as the Bulldogs made it back to the Georgia Dome again, but this time to face coach Nick Saban's powerful, then-ranked #2 Alabama on December 1, 2012.

Right off the bat, Georgia raced to a quick 4–0 start in September off blowout wins over Buffalo, Missouri, Florida Atlantic, and Vanderbilt. After crushing Buffalo, 45–23, Georgia blasted Missouri on the road the very next week, 41–20. Murray started off slowly but finished with 258 yards passing and three touchdowns against Buffalo on September 1, 2012.[31] His accuracy was much better in the following week at Columbia, Mo. (22-of-35 passing for 242 yards with three touchdowns) as senior wide receiver Marlon Brown pitched in by catching a game high 9 receptions for 124 yards to overwhelm the Missouri Tigers—who were brand new to the SEC Conference that year.[32][33]

Two home wins on the September 15 and 22 against over-matched Florida Atlantic and Vanderbilt gave Murray more opportunities to shine as he did—completing 14 of his 19 passes for 342 yards and 2 touchdowns against FAU (Georgia won this game, 56–20) and connecting on 18-of-24 passing attempts, good for 250 yards and two more scores versus Vandy.[34] The Georgia Bulldogs surprised Vanderbilt, 48–3, in Athens, Ga. as coach James Franklin's Commodores would still go on to finish a successful campaign at 9–4.[35]

Coach Mark Richt's and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham's next test came against the Tennessee Volunteers at home as Georgia's troubles with the Vols foreshadowed an event that was yet to come with the date of October 6 looming versus the then undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks. Georgia slipped past scrappy Tennessee, 51–44, on September 29, but gave up 478 total yards of offense in the process. Sanders Commings came up with one of his two picks late in the contest to the seal the win for the Bulldogs as Murray got help from two true freshman running backs in Keith Marshall (10 rushes, 164 yards and 75- and 72-yard touchdown runs) and Todd Gurley (24 rushes, 130 yards and three touchdowns that including one rush of 51 yards for a score). Murray was 19 of 25 passing the ball for 278 yards and two touchdowns against the Vols.[36] His touchdown passes were of 8 and 32 yards both thrown to wide receiver Michael Bennett, who was unfortunately lost for the season to an ACL injury at practice 4 days later.

The season nearly hit a turning point in the year, changing directions for the worse, when Georgia faced quarterback Connor Shaw, defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, and head coach Steve Spurrier's 11–2 South Carolina Gamecocks (fifth-ranked in the country) in Columbia, South Carolina a week later. The Gamecocks took control early and led 21–0 in the first quarter as Shaw scored on 2 touchdown passes while South Carolina's return man, Ace Sanders, took a punt 70 yards for a score. With Murray only passing for 109 yards and no touchdowns, Georgia never gathered its composure offensively until the game's final drive when running back Ken Malcome ran hard, rushing 5 times for 45 yards. He scored on a 3-yard touchdown run to make it a 35–7 final score—as the loss would put the Bulldogs behind the eight ball in league play with the SEC Eastern Division.[37]

The remainder of the season turned into a story of redemption for the University of Georgia as Murray led the Bulldogs past Kentucky (October 20), Florida (October 27), Ole Miss (November 3), Auburn (November 10), Georgia Southern (November 17), and Georgia Tech (November 24) on consecutive weekends to finish the regular season.[38] Murray and the Bulldogs locked up the SEC East as its division leader when they received help from South Carolina which suffered from two road losses to SEC opponents, LSU and Florida, on back-to-back weekends.

At Lexington, Kentucky, Murray displayed tremendous accuracy going 30-of-38 passing the ball for 427 yards and four touchdowns. He hit wide receiver Tavarres King for a 66-yard touchdown pass in the 1st quarter while King and teammate Malcolm Mitchell each caught 9 passes for 188 and 103 yards respectively in Georgia's 29–24 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats.[39]

The next weekend pitted Georgia against an improving Florida Gators football team (ranked No. 2 going into the October 27 matchup; finished season at 11–2) led by coach Will Muschamp down in Jacksonville, Florida. Murray and the Bulldogs overcame a sloppy first half after going up 7–0 off a Todd Gurley 10-yard touchdown run. It took an interception inside Georgia's end zone by safety Bacarri Rambo at the end of the half at EverBank Field to preserve a 7–6 UGA lead. With Georgia leading 10–9 late in the game, Murray hooked up with wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell on third-and-5 for a 45-yard touchdown pass—which put the game out of reach as the Bulldogs claimed a 17–9 decision, giving them sole possession of the lead in the SEC Eastern Division. Murray went 12 of 24 for 150 yards passing and a touchdown during the contest.[40]

In the games that followed—all in November—Georgia put their season on cruise control as the Bulldogs rolled past Ole Miss, Auburn, Georgia Southern, and Georgia Tech beginning on November 3 and finishing out on November 24 when UGA blasted the Yellow Jackets, 42–10. Georgia played Ole Miss at home as the Rebels took a 10–0 lead in the 2nd quarter off Bo Wallace's 13-yard touchdown pass to Jamal Mosley. The Bulldogs responded by scoring 37 unanswered points as Murray was the catalyst by scoring four of Georgia's five touchdowns. He threw a 66-yard touchdown pass to Marlon Brown, a 40 yarder to King, a 42 yarder to Mitchell, and a 23-yard touchdown pass to Rantavious Wooten to complete the rout. Murray threw all over the Rebels as he was 21 of 28 for 384 passing yards.[41]

Next, Georgia traveled to face embattled Auburn as the Bulldogs grabbed a 28–0 lead by halftime. Murray opened up the game with three touchdown passes of 6, 5, and 17 yards to three different receivers. Running back Keith Marshall added the finishing touches in the third quarter with a 62-yard touchdown run to give Georgia its 38–0 victory. Murray was solid going 18 of 24 passing the ball for 208 yards against the Tigers.[42]

UGA finished out its regular season by knocking off two schools that ran the option as Georgia defeated Georgia Southern in a lopsided contest, 48–14, on November 17 and then got past the Rambling Wreck in Athens, Ga. by limiting Georgia Tech's quarterbacks' Tevin Washington and Vad Lee to a combined 120 passing yards. Murray threw the ball very well against Georgia Southern (18 of 28 passing for 330 yards and 4 touchdowns) and was consistent against the Yellow Jackets (14-of-17 passing for 215 yards with 2 touchdowns) in these victories over in-state rivals.[43][44]

On December 1, No. 3 ranked Georgia (11–1) reached the SEC Championship Game to face its nemesis in archrival Alabama (11–1) which was ranked No. 2 in the country. Murray played his best when the game was on the line as he came up just five yards short of winning the championship contest as his final pass, which was intended for Malcolm Mitchell in the end zone, was instead deflected by Alabama's linebacker C.J. Mosley as the errant misplaced football fell into the hands of a falling Chris Conley who successfully made the catch but had lost his balance and was promptly tackled in the field of play at the five-yard line. The remaining seconds ticked off the game clock as the Alabama Crimson Tide (who held on to win the slugfest, 32–28) went on to become the 2012 SEC Champion—and later on, the 2013 BCS Champion after they defeated Notre Dame, 42–14, in Miami, Florida on January 7, 2013.[45]

Murray had opened up the scoring with a 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jay Rome, but Alabama's Eddie Lacy answered with a 41-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7–7 in the 2nd quarter. The Crimson Tide held a 10–7 lead at halftime. It appeared that Georgia had stolen the momentum by taking a 21–10 lead when a blocked field goal resulted in Georgia's Alec Ogletree racing 55 yards with the pigskin for a score, but Alabama punished the Bulldogs' defense by gaining 350 yards on the ground as Lacy finished with 181 rushing yards while true freshman T.J. Yeldon ran for 153 more. Murray ended the game with an 80-yard drive in eight plays down to Alabama's 5-yard line as he only had 1:08 left of time to work with. The key play in the drive was his 26-yard pass to Georgia's lumbering tight end, Arthur Lynch, as the 6–5, 272-pound junior dragged Alabama defenders with him to the Crimson Tide 8-yard line. Murray was 18-of-33 for 265 yards passing and a touchdown in the contest.[46]

Following the loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, Georgia was invited to the Capital One Bowl to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers (10–3) in Orlando, Florida Murray had an outstanding afternoon by throwing for 427 yards and five touchdowns. He received help from freshman running back Todd Gurley who ran for 125 yards on 23 carries as Georgia overcame a 31–23 deficit to prevail over the Cornhuskers by two touchdowns. Murray ended the game with a 24-yard touchdown pass to running back Keith Marshall and an 87-yard touchdown pass to Chris Conley in the fourth quarter.[47]

Murray enjoyed excellent success during his redshirt junior season at the University of Georgia as the Bulldogs finished at 12–2 and as SEC Eastern Division Champions. He had a victory in a bowl game with his win over Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl. Numbers wise, it was Murray's best season by far as he completed 249-of-386 passes for 3,893 yards with 36 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a solid pass efficiency rating of 174.82. He also set individual career records. Against Kentucky (October 20, 2012), Murray's 73rd career touchdown gave him the UGA record, breaking David Greene's record set from 2001–04. And then against Alabama in the 2012 SEC Championship Game, he broke Peyton Manning's career touchdown record which was 89. Murray now has 95 touchdown passes for his career at UGA.[48]

2013 season

On November 9, at the homecoming game vs. Appalachian State, Aaron Murray completed touchdown passes 114 and 115 to tie and break the all-time SEC career passing touchdown record previously set by Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel in 1996. On October 19, he completed a 7-yard pass to Arthur Lynch and passed Tim Tebow to become the SEC's all-time leading passer. On November 23, 2013 Murray tore his ACL in the left knee on a non-contact play during Senior Night for Georgia at Sanford Stadium.[49] Prior to the ACL injury, Murray surpassed 3,000 yards for the season. This makes him the first SEC quarterback to pass for 3,000 yards per year in four seasons.[50]

Murray's highlights for the 2013 season listed above were notable accomplishments. Here's a recap of his senior season with the Georgia Bulldogs who wound up at 8–5 while being unranked by the AP Top 25 Poll. Murray's ACL injury on November 23 was a microcosm of UGA's difficult injury-filled season as a score of key players were sidelined with injuries.

Georgia's season began on August 31 with Murray's 5th ranked 'Dogs being surprised in an upset loss to 8th ranked Clemson on the road, 38–35. Murray finished the contest 20-of-29 passing for 323 yards while scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:19 left to play.[51]

Murray responded to Georgia's opening season loss to Clemson by taking charge in the 2nd half of Georgia's 41–30 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks on September 7. He had another fine day throwing the football (17 of 23 passes for 309 yards with 4 touchdowns). Murray's final touchdown came in the form of an 85-yard toss to wide receiver Justin Scott-Wesley early in the 4th quarter. He also received help from running back Todd Gurley who ran for 132 yards on 30 carries.[52]

Next, the University of Georgia faced North Texas at home on September 21 as Murray added more numbers, more yardage, and more scores. He went 22-of-30 throwing the ball for 408 yards and three touchdowns while also garnering 37 rushing yards in the process. WR Chris Conley aided Murray's cause with five receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown.[53]

With Georgia's roster nearly at full strength for one last time in '13, the Bulldogs managed to escape in their matchup with #6 LSU. Georgia won the contest 44–41 as Murray capped off the scoring by connecting with receiver Scott-Wesley on a 25-yard touchdown pass with 1:47 left in the final stanza. Murray threw for 298 yards and for 4 touchdowns in the victory.[54]

Finally, Georgia reached a defining moment in the season of 2013 when the Bulldogs had to travel to Knoxville, Tennessee for a matchup with the Vols on October 5. The Bulldogs lost several players to injury in this overtime thriller as RB Keith Marshall (5 rushed, 33 yards against UT) tore an ACL that put him out for the year. Other notables among the injury list included Murray's receivers Michael Bennett and Justin Scott-Wesley. Even the team's punter, Collin Barber, was knocked out of this contest. Murray—without his backfield (Todd Gurley had been lost the week before with an ankle injury to LSU)—took this game into his own hands as he raced 57 yards off a scramble early in the 3rd quarter which a play later set up his teammate Brendan Douglas' 3-yard touchdown run giving the Bulldogs a 24–17 lead with 14:55 left in the 3rd quarter. Soon afterwards, Georgia defeated Tennessee 34–31 in overtime off a Marshall Morgan 42 yard FG. Murray finished the contest going 19-of-35 for 196 passing yards and three touchdowns.[55]

With injuries taking a toll, Georgia ran into trouble later in the year—which saw its hopes of making the SEC title game fade away. Next, Georgia took on eventual SEC East Champion Missouri at home on October 12, 2013. Murray opened up the scoring with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Douglas, but it was Missouri that took the upper hand in the first half by taking a 28–10 lead going into the locker-room. The Missouri Tigers held on to win, 41–26. Murray passed for 290 yards (25 completions in 45 attempts) in the losing cause with three touchdowns.[56]

Soon, Georgia faced Vanderbilt in Nashville on October 19. Murray's two touchdown passes and Shaquille Wiggins's 39 yard interception return gave Georgia a 27–14 lead going into the final stanza of play, but it was Vanderbilt's comeback ability that enabled the Commodores to win 31–27. Murray minus his backfield struggled in this road matchup as he finished with only 114 yards off 16-of-28 passing attempts. Conley was Murray's top receiver as he finished with 5 catches for 40 yards in the losing cause.[57]

Georgia opened up November with a couple of wins as Murray's teammates got past Florida 23–20 and Appalachian State 45–6. Georgia rode the services of running back Todd Gurley in the November 2 matchup with Florida who led all rushers with 100 yards. Murray hit Gurley on a 75-yard touchdown pass early in the game that gave UGA a 14–0 lead in the 1st quarter. The Appalachian State game on November 9 was never close as Georgia took a 10–0 lead by halftime and expanded it to a 31–0 score going into the final quarter of play. Murray threw for 258 yards (18-of-23 passing) in the Florida game and had 281 yards passing against Appalachian State off 19-of-26 passing attempts.[58][59]

Soon after the Florida game, Georgia and Murray found themselves in a shootout with SEC powerhouse rival Auburn (12–2, ranked #2, and SEC Champions in 2013) on November 16. In a game that saw multiple lead changes, Murray had appeared to have won the contest off a 5-yard touchdown run which happened with 1:49 left in the game. However, with only 25 seconds remaining, Auburn's Ricardo Louis took in a tip-drill pass and hauled in the reception to complete a 73-yard touchdown on 4th down-and-18 to seal the win for the Tigers, 43–38. Murray threw for 415 yards (33 completions out of 49 passes) and two touchdowns in the losing cause.[60]

Murray's senior season ended on a very painful and sour note on November 23 as the 'Dogs faced Kentucky at home. Things started out fine for the senior quarterback who opened up the game with 4 touchdowns while going 18-of-23 passing for 183 yards—all in the first half. Then, Murray was hit by a defender with 2:17 left in the half that caused him to suffer an ACL injury.[61]

For the remainder of Murray's senior season, Georgia would have to manage without their star player. Murray's Bulldogs finished out the year at 8–5 while defeating Georgia Tech (41–34) in their regular season finale and losing to Nebraska (24–19) in the Gator Bowl on January 1, 2014.[62][63]

Statistics

Passing

Rushing

YEAR

CMP

ATT

CMP%

YDS

TD

INT

RAT

ATT

YDS

AVG

TD

2009

DNP – Redshirt

2010

209

342

61.1

3,049

24

8

154.5

87

167

1.9

4

2011

238

403

59.1

3,149

35

14

146.4

87

111

1.3

2

2012

249

386

64.5

3,893

36

10

174.8

59

−68

−1.2

3

2013

225

347

64.8

3,075

26

9

158.8

58

186

3.5

7

Totals

921

1,478

62.3

13,166

121

41

158.5

291

396

1.36

16

Professional career

NFL

On September 4, 2016, Murray was signed by the Arizona Cardinals to their practice squad. On September 12, 2016, Murray was released by the Cardinals.[65] On September 13, 2016, Murray was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles to their practice squad reuniting him with former Chief offensive coordinator and Eagle head coach Doug Pederson.[66]